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Category Archives Unexpected Literary References

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) When watching a rerun of the "Britney's New Look" episode of South Park a few nights ago, I caught an allusion to the famous short story, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson (minute 16:36 in the clip here). Which makes me wonder, in what other unexpected places do literary references and allusions appear? Staying in the South Park world, there is the "A Dickens Classic" episode, which is an overt retelling of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. More recently, The episode "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" is an extended commentary on Catcher in the Rye's controversial reputation. But beyond those borders, below are a few I remember (having been refreshed via a few internet searches). What others are there? The Simpsons ep Treehouse of Horror V | The "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," from Stephen King's novel, The Shining, is…

Today, I stop at Nicholas Karpuk's blog, which consists of a series of posts tagged "Cartoon Hell," that comment on a cartoon DVD from a $5 collection called “150 Cartoon Classics." You have no idea how much this idea excited me when I first heard about it. So, to be able to add a bit of cartoon talk to his blog is an honor. There, I talk about how Ren & Stimpy inspired the cover design for Charactered Pieces. And just for fun, check out this playlist featuring Tex Avery's most well-known cartoons. As a child, I absorbed Looney Tunes cartoons. Avery's "[Blank] of Tomorrow" newsreel satires were my favorite (as evidenced by an earlier post here).

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